Seattle wrapup

Our timing for our trip to the Olympic Peninsula was brilliant, as we happened to hit the annual Red Wine and Chocolate tour hosted by a number of local wineries. On Sunday, we visited two that also happened to make real cider, apple and pear hard ciders similar to those Stace is familiar with.

 We had fun tasting, and the most delicious chocolate was also being sampled out. Yum!

Alison and Tyler came with us, and after we had dinner together, we went to their cute little place, a perfect newlywed setup. Cora like playing with the kitties...

...and checking out Tyler's music studio in the loft. Tyler and Stace jammed, with Cora on drums. 

 Cora helped Aunt Patty with some of the cooking, but Violet wanted to wear the apron.

She also liked trying on sister's boots!

Uncle Bill did a balancing game with Cora that he played with his kids when they were younger. There was lots of laughter!

And, like usual, we took the ferry on our way back to Seattle when it was time to return to the airport. It was windy on the boat! Both girls got a kick out of the ferry.

Our trip was fantastic! It was so nice to have a full week together. Thanks, Uncle Bill and Aunt Patty! Until we meet again...

Fun with Fire and Ice

One of Cora's birthday treats she's been looking forward to was ice skating with Aunt Patty. Ever since she enjoyed our December skating session with friends, and Patty said we'd go when we came up to Washington, Cora has talked about it. We tried to go Friday but the rink was closed for a hockey event; on Monday, it all worked out.

 Aunt Patty skated competitively as a teenager, and she was a good teacher for Cora.

 Cora spent quite a bit of time like this, but she never once cried on the ice. She was such a trooper! An instructor with a private student commented on Cora's determination and said she'll be a great skater some day. Then she corrected herself and said that Cora is a great little skater.

 Alison and Tyler came too! It was a fun day, and so much more affordable in Bremerton than in Valencia. I wish it were cheaper near us so we could go more often! Cora really loves it and by about halfway through our two hours on the ice, she was doing good! Falling often, but getting right back up and skating again.

 Gorgeous, ain't she? And looking so much older. Wow. Is she really only 5?

In the evening, Cora saw her other wish come true. The rain stayed away, and Uncle Bill built a fire. We roasted marshmallows while Aunt Patty baked an apple pie. (Yes, the eating theme continues...)

Seattle Post 1: Flying Well, Eating Better

Our plane trip from Burbank to Seattle on Wednesday went very well. The girls stayed occupied with coloring, books and snacks.

On Thursday, Uncle Bill had to work and Aunt Patty offered to stay home with the girls so Stace and I could have a date day. We had a fabulous lunch at the Yacht Club Broiler - if you're ever in Silverdale, Wash., we highly recommend it. We enjoyed delicious clam chowder, crab cakes and a seafood salad with lobster, fresh crab and giant prawns. Oh my. Then, we went shopping to get ideas for redoing our bedroom and maybe buying a new couch or sectional.

On Friday, Cora had her wintertime beach experience, collecting clams and oysters that we had for dinner tonight (Saturday).

 It may have been cold and wet, but when you're five, it's no bother to go harvesting your food.

On Friday we celebrated Cora's birthday (again! Lucky girl!) with Aunt Patty's amazing strawberry shortcake. This was after two types of homemade soup and this cheese-and-onion soda bread that Stace loved so much, he was considering leaving me for it.

Today, we went to Stokes Auction, a monthly event with all sorts of interesting things to peruse and bid on. Uncle Bill and my mom grew up going to auctions with their dad, so this was a blast from the past for them.

This time around, there weren't any cars for Uncle Bill to buy to flip, but we did go home with goodies. See the crockery I'm holding? I thought it would look great in the display cabinet in our kitchen, and I set my limit at $20. We got it for $7.50! Later, we saw similar pieces for sale online for a lot more, so that made me happy. Maybe I've found a line I can try to collect? (If you look at the link, the pitcher looks the same as the one we bought, but the plate we have is more round, not scalloped. We also got a matching spoon holder.)

Here was tonight's feast - salmon caught locally by a friend of Bill and Patty's; clams and oysters from the local beach; homemade gnocchi, bread and pesto; and pasta. It's hard to say goodbye to Patty without having gained five pounds!

Swinging - on her own!

Cora's Birthday Dinner

We hosted a birthday dinner for Cora on Saturday night, with her favorite friends including Ave and Johnny, Alexyss and Maya. 

 Here, Jill shows Violet a picture on her phone of Marley, who couldn't come because she had a cold.

 Genia and me, with our youngests. We were watching video clips on the computer of Violet sliding into the foam pit in her tumbling class, and of her swinging over the pit on the rope. I will post the swinging video; it's worth watching! At least, Owen and Violet thought so. They wanted it replayed over, and over, and over, and over.

 Cora's princess cake, with strawberries inside. She really wanted an Ariel cake but we had a little trouble finding one, and this one was more than good enough. One of the princesses lights up.

 How many big kids can you fit in a crib?
Four! Johnny wouldn't get in.
They were playing baby, trading off the roles of Mommy, baby, and sister.
You can tell all the girls are big sisters, can't you? I'm not sure what to say about Cora borrowing Violet's night-night, so I'll say nothing.

 Present time! Cora received some lovely gifts. Thanks, everyone!

 

Violet snuggling while Grandma draws. Violet loves coloring in drawings we make her, especially Nemos. She'll request Nemo often, and then color him in, saying she's drawing the water.

Everyone sing along...

Cora turns 5

Cora Rose is five years old! Five! The age that marks the end of preschool and the start of kindergarten and big-kid school, the start of what will be a whole new way of life for us later this year.

Sparked by our friends Christy and her family when they were here celebrating William's birthday, we started our day with "birthday cereal." Cora picked this cocoa cereal I had on hand for snacks, with blueberries.

 Later, after talking to Nan, Pop and Euan on the Web cam, Johnny, Genia and Owen came over. We all went to Scooter's Jungle, where the dynamic duo above ran themselves ragged for over an hour. Then we had lunch at our house and played for the afternoon...

 ...until Daddy came home, and it was time for Cora's big present from him and me. Isn't it grand? Cora's first big-girl bike in America. (She already has two in England!) Our friend Susan gave it to us, and Stace cleaned it up with a new basket, bell, grips and saddle. Cora loves it! And she rides it beautifully. The video shows her first ride, and she's now happily been all over the neighborhood.

Cora chose our dinner location, and Burger King was her selection. At five years old, the quality of the indoor playground matters much more to Cora Rose than the quality of the food.

 Cora's birthday celebration continued at school Friday. She got to be "special helper," she was sung to, and she got to pass out cupcakes as the school day ended.

 Little sister was happy that Cora passed out cupcakes!

 Here the girls are enjoying Cora's present from Nan and Pop, a princess Duplo set. Cora was thrilled with it, as she was hoping for Legos.

Happy Birthday, Cora! We are so proud of you and the young lady you are becoming. It's a pleasure to watch you grow, learn, laugh and play, and we are excited for the big things to come this year for you. We love you!

Super Sunday

 On Super Bowl Sunday, we went to our friends' house for a bash they throw every year for the game.

We haven't been in recent years, so this year I really wanted to go. We only get to see Jason and Stephanie, my college friends, once or twice a year. Now they have a little girl, Morgan, who is just a couple of months younger than Violet, so I knew it would be a very kid-friendly party this time around.




Sure enough, there was plenty of food and toys that Violet had a ball with. There was an inflatable bouncer, push toys, and a water table that was filled with rice.

 The girls were very cute together, and had fun saying each other's name. We had a great time, even though Stace saw a lot more of the game than I did, since I followed Violet around a lot.

Cora, meanwhile,  spent the day at Disneyland with Grandma and Grandpa. It was a tough choice - Disneyland? or football game?

This time around, they spent their day at California Adventure. Here, Cora is in the playground part of the park. This was the first time Cora wore one of her princess dresses to Disneyland. Thanks, Nan and Pop, for the Alice outfit!

 Cotton candy! Yum!

Cora is really enjoying being over 40 inches tall. On Sunday, she went on the Soaring Over California ride for the first time, and she loved it. The indoor ride simulates flying, with a huge screen projecting images of the state. Cora was certain she saw our house at one point.

Tidbits

Last weekend we went to the L.A. Zoo for a few hours. It's great having a family membership, because it ends up being a very cheap day out.











Since Cora had such a great time spending the night at Alexyss's house, we wanted to have Alexyss over to our house for the night. On Monday, Alexyss came over around dinner time and the girls had a great time playing together. The sleepover part would have gone better had the girls actually slept for more than five hours.

 Stace decided to dive into the world of Angry Birds over the weekend. He always wakes up way earlier than me, so Saturday morning he played on his tablet for a while. We brought Violet into bed when she woke up, and she loved watching Daddy's birds.
Later in the day, she pointed to the tablet and started asking for birds, and was sad when I didn't get them for her. I think we'll have to be very wise about how often Stace plays any games in front of the girls!

 But who needs birds when you have aggums?

Somer has been gone a little over a year now, and Spencer and Sebastian have stolen the hearts of our girls. The four are such great playmates.


The cats helped Stace change my brake pads this weekend. Somer, our old master technician and general contractor, would have been proud.

Cora and Violet are fantastic playmates too.


This is a current favorite game - pretending to go to sleep in the playroom. They have couch pillows and blankets, read stories, get kissed goodnight, and off to sleep they go. Then, morning comes, and it's Christmas! They discover their gifts, and it's great fun.

Later, they chased each other around the house, hiding and then surprising each other. Cora told me, "When I don't have friends to play Hide-and-Seek with, I have fun playing with my sister!"

I love watching and hearing them play together. They have so much fun, and love each other so deeply.

Singing Violet

I haven't written a Violet-specific post for a while. She's now 21 months, still as happy as can be (most of the time), a talkative girl with a big smile. 

Here is Violet's favorite shirt. She asks for it pretty often. "Kitty shirt, kitty shirt!" Sadly it's getting too small on her, but I think I'll take Stacey's advice and just snip the back of the neck so we can still slip it over her head. She loves it that much. 

Violet loves animals in general - dogs, cats, zoo and farm animals... We went to the zoo over the weekend and Violet was naming every animal, and in the case of the gorillas, she named them before she even saw one. She must have recognized the enclosure from our trip a few weeks prior.

Violet's four-week tumbling class ends tomorrow. She has loved it, as most toddlers would. What's not to love about running and jumping on trampolines, climbing on ladders, trying out balance beams, and swinging on ropes over a foam block pit?

After 15 minutes of open play, the children all go onto the big trampoline, where one at a time they get to jump while the rest of us sing the "ABCs." Violet is one of the few young ones to sing along, loudly, nearly every word. It's a good thing she does, too, as it distracts her from her strong desire to head back onto the trampoline.

From the second class on, she's raced to be first to jump when the instructor says it's time to head over. Then, after her turn, she has a while to wait while the rest of children get their turn, before they all get to bounce together.


When Violet made it to the top of the ladder, she was so proud of herself! "I did it!" she yelled, over and over. Violet often uses three-word phrases now, and sometimes even four-words together. Stace and I continue to be amazed at her speaking ability. A couple of weeks ago, she said, "I've got a little bag" while holding a bag.
Violet's teachers at Mom2Mom and Sunday School tell us every week how surprising her speech is.

At Mom2Mom, Miss Sarah told me she got out Violet's potty seat to see if Violet wanted to use it. Violet went into the bathroom, saw the seat, and said, "I don't want to." Violet also tells me "Don't want it!" when we're singing songs, if I start singing the wrong song.

Anyway, back to the pottying - after a bad month over Christmas when Violet had some stomach problems, I'm thrilled that she's back to using the toilet almost all the time for going No. 2. She cheers loudly, both when we change her and she hasn't pooped in her diaper, and when she succeeds in the toilet.
"Dood dirl, Vi-yet! Dood dirl, no poo!"
She also calls me and Cora "good girls" when we use the toilet, if we're out in public and in the same stall.

I try to help out at church monthly in Sunday School, and this past week I worked in Violet's class. Here, she's making a mirror to remind the children that God loves them, the child they see in the mirror.

Violet already loves crafts, and sat down quickly. "Help me, Mummy. Ticker, ticker. (Sticker) Help me, please." After church, Violet is always excited to get her "dondut."

She also like snack time. She and Brayden, the boy next to her, were telling each other their names. "I Vi-yet" she said with a big smile.  She generally talks with a big smile. Imagine, in a sing-songy voice, "Hellooooo, Mummyyyy! Helloooo, Coraaaaa! Helloooo, Daddyyyy!"

Interestingly, Violet can say Cora properly now, though Cora encourages her sister to still call her "Gia"; Cora didn't say her own name properly until she was about 3. Violet also is calling water "water" more often than alguie, and she calls the cats "kitties" sometimes, and not just "aggums." She can count to 10, give or take a number or two. She's a good sleeper at night, goes to bed easily, and wakes up between 7:30 and 8. She still takes a two-hour nap every afternoon.

In general, our Violet Mae is an absolute joy and Stace and I are treasuring every moment of her toddlerhood - the hugs and kisses, holding hands, her head on our shoulder when she's tired. Even her tantrums and screaming sessions aren't so bad. I wish she didn't have to grow up. 

God, thanks for trusting us with this precious little one to raise! Help us do right by her, and by her sister.

I've been wanting to capture Violet's singing and speech. At top is Twinkle Twinkle, and at bottom is the ABCs. In the middle, we have one of the funny words she mispronounces - ketchup is "raprap."